The Dissatisfaction Propagation

  It's been a few months since returning to Canada, and while there is an ease to slipping back into one's home country, I'm also feeling bombarded.

  I'm bombarded by commercials and advertising, and manipulated by marketers. It has become very apparent how we are programmed to consume in this place. In Central America, I bought crafts from local artisans, I appreciated the workmanship and beauty of their creations. I purchased because I thought it was beautiful, not because I was told it was beautiful.

  We are being told what to like and not to like on a daily basis, and I don't like it. I've had to do a bit of shopping lately and I want to buy items that do not have to be quickly replaced and that will stand the test of time. There are items that we need and want but I'm trying to stay away from what's trending. Are you aware of how difficult it is to stay away from trends? Companies want to keep us consuming, and so they create trends. Once that trend has past, they move on to the next, leaving us feeling dissatisfied with the last so that we must purchase the latest in order to ease the discomfort of dissatisfaction. We must have the new in order to feel our best, that we fit in, are as good as, or better than others. Advertisers appeal to our egos and for the most part, like true egomaniacs, we soak it all in. Look around at how many people have the same haircut, facial hair, style of dress, even the way they pose for a picture. Can you identify which colours are prominent, what style of furniture? If you find yourself drawn to those things, you should know that you've been programmed, I'm just saying...

  We are instruments, and mass marketers are strumming us like fiddles, we are playing the song they want us to play. So how do we free ourself from the fiddler? We need to think about the way advertising is coming in to our lives. Once we realize how we are being influenced, we can find ways to get a break from it, and stop thinking about 'things'. For me that means spending time in nature, away from the billboards, electronic devices, flyers.  Consuming isn't making us happy, and it's not supposed to, that's the point. More is not the answer, and I want to hear a different song, for crying out loud! Quebec has some beautiful trees so I'm heading out to the woods and listening to the sounds of nature, the birds, the wind, the crunch of leaves. I'm shutting down the fiddler, and putting on a different song. Here's a few photos of beautiful Quebec.

Better than a fidget spinner, am I right? 

Thank You Nicaragua

Excuse me while I get philosophical...

La Isla De Ometepe

As we prepare for our next adventure, I'm reminded of what an amazing year we leave behind us. After letting go of all we've been told we needed, all we that was expected that we should do, we headed out to see new land. Like our immigrant grandparents before us we took chance on change, on different, on the unknown. Life beyond normal was a challenge, it was at times frustrating and strange, and beautiful.

A wise man once said, "without challenge there is no growth." I believe this to be true. A small seedling must push the dirt aside to see the sun. I too, needed to push the dirt aside. This is my thank you note to Nicaragua.

Thank you Nicaragua for making my life so much more. More of the important things, more dreams, more love, more real life.

Thank you for the silence, for with silence I was able to listen. I was able to listen to the truth and drowned out the noise, the misconceptions, and the judgement. I was able to hear the truth, my truth.

Thank you for the distance....Thank you for the distance.

There are those that say that travel will change you. I say, it allows you to be who you were in the first place. Some say it is risky to take chances like this, and I suppose to some to degree it is. The thing about life is, everything is a risk. Crossing the street is a risk. One can do everything right and still, "unforeseen occurrence befalls us all." We took a risk, ( a calculated risk ) I'm not suggesting fool heartiness, and we are so much better for it.

Thank you Nicaragua for showing me so clearly that things do not make us happy. Have you ever had a conversation with that guy down the street? That one that likes to let you know how much stuff he has? Does he seem happy or does he complain about how many people don't measure up? Did he make you feel good by telling you about all his things? Probably not, you probably don't care and you probably think he's a tool for bragging. Is that real happiness? If you have to tell everyone how smart you are, how you know the most, how you have the most sought after items to make yourself feel good, you're not happy. Happy people don't need to make others feel less, they don't need to make themselves feel more. It was this kind of misconception about what's important that Nicaragua gave us distance from. It was this kind of misconception that Nicaragua gave us freedom from. Thank you Nicaragua, for the freedom.

Thank you Nicaragua, for showing me that all I need is less.

For now, we're moving on, working on yet another language, and challenging ourselves once more.

Thank you Nicaragua, until we meet again.

The Simplification Operation

 Though I've never liked trinkets and useless ornaments with no purpose, I am by no means a natural minimalist. Simplifying my life involved a lot of change for me, both physically and emotionally.

 As I sit here typing I'm about to embark on my third move since arriving in this country. Finally we have found something a little more long term. I'm moving out of my current place because it is a vacation rental and already full of someone else's (the owner's) stuff. I can't deal with it. Seriously, it's one thing to have your own clutter but when it's someone else's !?! Being here has made me more aware of what junk we just don't need. This place has boxes of crayons, spices, empty pop bottles, old magazines, I could go on... I guess the owner keeps them so they can use them when they visit, to each their own. I can't take it anymore.

  Being surrounded by so much stuff is overwhelming. I can't concentrate, I just wander around in circles, paralyzed by clutter. Clutter has an effect not only on our physical state but our mental one.

  There are some that will read this and think they are already minimalists. If you have a second closet full of clothes or a cabinet full of fancy items you only use once a year, or maybe never. You are not a minimalist. Organized, maybe. Minimalist, no.

  I'm not judging, I've had that box of crayons. I've had a packed closet. I'm telling you, it's better over here on the other side. I'm able to pack all of my belongings in a few hours, I can find what I want when I need it and it feels great! Planning for this move got me thinking about the simplification process and I thought I would share some of the ideas that helped me.

  First, give yourself time. When I started this process I wanted to get everything done quickly, it took longer than I'd hoped. The more you get rid of, the more you will find. There's a good chance you've got more stuff than you think.

  Make a list. Some choose to go room by room, others prefer to go by category. Whatever you decide, write it down and go through items methodically. You might decide to go through the junk drawer (you know you've got one), or a storage closet. Do the first thing on the list and move on to the next one. This will help to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

  Take a half hour each day or a few hours once a week, whatever works best for your schedule.Just do something regularly.

  When removing items, start with what you no longer use. It might still be useful but if you haven't taken it out of a drawer, or closet in a long time it's no longer useful to you. Think about donating it, or giving it to someone who might appreciate it.

  Next move on to items that you don't love. Maybe it's a nice dress but it makes you feel uncomfortable. Get rid of it, only keep items that you love and make you feel great!

  Now there's the stuff that cost a lot of money, it's still good, and it would be a waste to get rid of it. Sell it. If you can't sell it and you're still not using it, keeping it isn't saving you anything. It was still a waste of money because you are not using it! Get rid of it, we all make mistakes. Move on.

 Here's where it starts to get harder. Those items you still like but know very well you rarely use. What worked for me was putting it in a bag and out of sight. If I didn't miss it or find myself needing it, I let it go.

  And then there's the keepsakes. There are some things you will not want to let go of and that's o.k. When making your decision about what to keep try to decide if it is something that you will be willing to put on display or in a box. If the answer is that the keepsake will be kept in a box, take a picture of it and let it go. An item in a box isn't making a difference in your life, it's sitting in a box getting old.

  What to keep? Keep what you love. That dress that looks perfect every time. The jeans that work with every outfit, and that blender that always makes the perfect smoothie!

  By keeping only what you love, you appreciate what you have, enjoy using it, and feel good every time you get dressed.

Less stuff, more peace.